


unruly hearts

by isthiswhattheycallwriting



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Pre-Infinity War, Stark!Reader, because i love this fucking trope, but instead of peter living with the avengers, peter likes you, post-Homecoming, you don't like peter, you live with him
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-15
Updated: 2019-03-10
Packaged: 2019-10-10 14:22:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17427584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/isthiswhattheycallwriting/pseuds/isthiswhattheycallwriting
Summary: Being Tony Stark's daughter is always interesting.  No day is the same, and you love it.  Your dad, however, thinks you need more stability.  So when he takes on an intern from Queens, he sees an opportunity to give you just that.  The only issue you see with living with Peter Parker is the fact that you can't stand him.





	1. one

**Author's Note:**

> I love this fucking trope. Let me know what you think!

"Y/N!"

You pointedly ignored the shouting, your tongue sticking out as you tightened the last bolt on Rhodey's suit.

"Y/N!"

Humming, you took a step back and did a loop around, checking to make sure you hadn't forgotten to put a piece back on.  One forgotten bolt could to catastrophic, even though you did install enough safety nets in the suit that he would okay.  It still made you worry, though.

"Y/N M/N STARK!"

Rolling your eyes, you pushed open the doors of the lab to see your dad standing there with his intern, Peter Parker, a thirty-something year old woman with huge glasses, and Happy.  "You rang, father?"

He shook his head at you, and the look in his eyes made it clear that he was already having a rough day.  "Didn't you hear me shouting?"

"I did," you said, pulling your hair out of the messy ponytail you had thrown it up in when you first went to tinker in the lab.  "But I was busy finishing some touch ups on Rhodey's suit."  You batted your eyelashes playfully at him, not acknowledging Parker and the woman just yet.  "I couldn't just stop in the middle of it, after all.  What if something didn't get reattached and the suit malfunctioned while Rhodey was flying?"

He pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyes closing as he muttered something under his breath.  Probably something about how you were going to be the death of him, as usual.  Finally, he turned back to you, motioning to the two others.  "Y/N, you know Peter.  This is his Aunt May."  You glanced over at them, your dad continuing, "They've agreed to let you stay with them for a while."

Wait.

What?

You felt your jaw drop in shock, shaking your head.  "What do you mean?  Why would I be going to stay with them?"

You could see the guilt wash over his face.  _Serves him right_ , you thought.  He had just sprung this on you with literally no warning and for no reason, as far as you could tell.  You knew you could be a bit much, but you were fifteen.  Of course you were going to be a bit much.  Was this him just deciding that he didn't want you?  The cogs in your head were moving too quickly, causing your anxiety to spike.  Your Lexapro was somewhere upstairs in your bathroom, and you just knew you were going to need one to deal with whatever the fuck was going on.

He placed both hands on your shoulders, looking down at you.  "Y/N, you need to go to school.  A proper school with other kids and extracurricular activities."  His eyes were locked on yours as he tried to get you to see his point of view.  "You need to consistently be in one place until you graduate and have someone at home to help take care of you.  What I'm saying is..."  He paused, biting his lip.  "You need a little stability.  I can't provide that.  But the Parkers have agreed that you can stay with them in their guest room for the time being.  I submitted your test scores and transcripts to Peter's school, and they said you can start immediately."

"But I don't want to go with them," you snapped, yanking out of his grip.  "I want to stay with you.  Why can't I stay with you?"

The expression on your face was going to kill him.  You were his little princess, after all.  You had him wrapped around your pinky from the second you were born.  But he also needed to do what was best for you.  "Y/N, it's not okay for you to be here alone for weeks at a time when I'm on a mission."  When he saw you open your mouth, he added, "And the other Avengers don't count.  The only one that knows how to be a parent is Clint, and when he's not on a mission, he's at home with his family.  Like he should be."  He ignored the way you were tearing up and taking steps away from him.  "I'm doing this because I love you.  You deserve to come home and have someone consistently be there.  You deserve food that isn't take out.  Or burnt to a crisp since I can't even make spaghetti."

You shook your head, running down the hall to your room.  You slammed the door shut with a bang, before crawling onto the bed.  It felt like your dad was abandoning you.  You didn't care what he said, this whole thing was stupid.  You loved living in the compound.  You had miles and miles of forest surrounding you, which was a nice change from the city.  You got to work on your own technology more so than you had when you lived back at the Tower.  Plus, you had just finished setting up your room just the way you wanted it the week before.

There was a soft knock on the door and you pulled your knees up to your chest.  "Go away."  You heard it creek open, and you grabbed a pillow to throw at your father.  When you turned around, though, you were shocked to see May Parker standing in the door way.  "Oh.  Hi," you said, quickly wiping away your tears.  You crossed your arms over your chest, not really wanting to talk to the woman that was about to take you away.

"Can I come in?" She asked, and you were surprised that she had even bothered asking.  Most adults didn't.  The Avengers liked to just barge into your room without any regard to whether you wanted them there or not.  Most of the time you did, but it was the concept of it.  When you slowly nodded, she thanked you before taking a few steps inside.  Looking around at all the decorations, she said, "You have a really cute room, you know."

"Thanks."

You were a little confused by her goal.  What exactly did she want?  She couldn't possibly want another teenager under her roof.  You could only imagine how much a pain-in-the-ass Parker was at home, considering how annoying he was when he was at the compound.  "I like that one," she mused, pointing to a photo that was hung on your picture memory board.  Pepper had snapped a photo as Steve carried you around on his shoulders.  You had only been thirteen, but you could still remember it like it was yesterday.  May finally moved to sit at your desk, turning the chair so she was facing you.  "You're dad really loves you, you know."

"Yeah, I know."  You rested your head on your kneecaps, biting your lip harshly.

Crossing her legs, she took a long look at you.  "The reason he's doing this is because he's scared for you.  He won't ever tell you this, because he doesn't want to worry you, but he said he feels like something is coming.  Something big.  And he doesn't want you to be caught in the crossfire."  Her brown eyes were searching yours.  "Please don't make this harder on him than it already is.  You're the most important thing in his life, and if something were to happen to you..."

"He'd never forgive himself," you finished with a sigh.  You knew you couldn't really argue after that.  If it was as serious as it sounded, then your dad was doing a really good job of shielding you from it.  Sliding off the bed, you began to grab clothes from your closet, tossing them onto the bed.

May Parker, satisfied with her work, stood up and headed for the door.  "I'm going to go get your dad and Peter to help."

That was the one thing you couldn't get on board with.  Peter _fucking_ Parker.  Over the past year and a half, he had become your dad's golden boy.  You were no longer the greatest student he had ever had, and all because Spider-boy had to go and get himself bit by a radioactive insect.  It wasn't fair.  For the past year, all of your dad's attention had been on Peter.  You had had to work twice as hard just to get a "good job, princess" and a pat on the back for anything you did.  Hell, you fucking made the suit that Peter was so ga-ga over.  And he didn't even thank you for it.

So when your dad entered the room with Parker in tow, you just shut your mouth and let them help you pack all of your shit up.  Technically, you could have F.R.I.D.A.Y. do it and it'd be finished in less than ten minutes, but sometimes you still liked doing things by hand.  Especially if it was something as simple as packing.  Your father didn't understand why, but he still did things by hand when you wanted him to.

Within an hour, your suitcases and cardboard boxes were being packed into the back of one of your father's SUVs, Happy already in the driver's seat.  Parker and May got into the car to give you a moment alone to say goodbye to your dad.

He stood in front of you, clearing his throat as he shoved his hands in his pockets.  "I want good morning and good night texts every day to let me know that you're alive, and weekly phone calls," he said sternly.  Despite his tough facade, you knew your dad.  He was trying to keep himself from crying.  "Do good in school, make lots of friends, and stay out of trouble."

"I can't promise to stay out of trouble, I'm a Stark, after all," you said with a bit of a laugh.

Tony rolled his eyes, pulling you into his arms.  You could feel tear drops on your forehead, but you weren't about to call him out on it.  "I mean it, princess.  I want you to at least try to be happy while you're there, okay?  Don't spend all your time working on homework.  Go out and have fun."  He then paused, shaking his head.  "But not too much fun."  Smirking, he leaned back and ruffled your hair.  "And take it easy on Peter.  He might be a year older, but you're a Stark."

He hugged you one last time, kissing your forehead before letting you get into the SUV.  May was sitting up front with Happy.  You wiped at your eyes as you drove away from the Avengers compound, waving at your father until he disappeared.  Peter was looking down at his phone, making sure you had your privacy.  It was nice of him.  Kinda.

He was still an annoying little bug.

You were quiet the entire ride, choosing instead to put in your headphones and watch the scenery go by.  Happy kept sneaking glances at you in the rear view mirror, watching you watch the trees morph until small towns which then morphed into the city of New York.  Even after you got into the city, it was another hour before you made it to Queens.  It would've been much faster to take the subway, except you had all your luggage with you.

It had been a while since you had been in the city, and you had forgotten how much you missed it.  You could take the girl out of New York City, but you couldn't take the New York City out of the girl.  The air, though filled with pollution and smelling of the sewers, smelled more normal to you than the fresh forest air out at the compound.

Being a New Yorker really was strange.

"We're here," May said, smiling back at you from the front seat before getting out.  She called for Parker to help her with the luggage, effectively leaving you alone with Happy.

He turned around and seemed to hesitate before saying, "I'm going to miss seeing you around all the time, kid.  If you ever need me..."

"I've got your number," you assured him with a faint smile.  Happy had been a constant in your life.  He had been your private security for a while.  That is, until Peter came along.  It was just another thing he had taken from you.

As you were getting out, he added, "And don't let Parker text me so often.  He's always blowing up my phone."

You couldn't help but laugh as you shut the door, moving to the trunk to grab more of your things.  May and Peter were stacking them in a pile on the curb so that it took less time.  You followed suit, and the moment the trunk was empty, Happy was gone.

"Alright, let's get this stuff in," May said happily.

You, however, had stopped to take in the place you would be calling home for who-knows-how-long.  It was a red brick apartment building with white doors and ivy crawling up walls.  It actually wasn't too shabby.  Kind of picturesque, if you were into that sort of thing.  Shaking yourself out of it, you grabbed a few boxes before following May and Peter inside.  They led you upstairs, to the last apartment on the left.  They then took you to the room in the back hallway, opening to door and letting you inside. There was a queen-sized bed inside, a vanity, and a dresser.  Other than that, it was completely bare.

When all the boxes and luggage were inside your room, you thanked the two Parkers before shutting the door, claiming a headache.  In reality, you just really needed to be alone so you could cry.  You knew that they knew it, but they were decent enough to play along.  There was a promise of dinner later, but you didn't think you'd have much of an appetite.

Well, if you were going to cry, you could at least be a little productive.  Putting your headphones in, you clicked on your angsty music playlist and began to unpack.  Maybe you could make this a little less shitty if you could make the space your own.  From the way May had made it sound, you'd be staying with them for a while and you'd be damned if you spent another five minutes with that bland of a room, let alone months.

Your phone dinged, and you let out a weak laugh as you read the text message, wiping your eyes.

 **Dad:**  Stop listening to your angsty playlist.

You had forgotten that since you two were following each other on Spotify, he could see what you were listening to when he was on the desktop app.  Which meant he was most likely working in the lab.  Giggling, you sent off a few texts before beginning to hang up your clothes in the closet.

 **You:** What are you working on?

 **You:** You better not be messing with Rhodey's suit.

 **You:** I literally just fixed it and I don't want you messing it all up.

You had finished unpacking all of your clothing before there was a knock on the door.  Taking out one headphone, you heard Parker say, "Hey, Y/N.  Dinner's ready."

"I'll be there in a minute!"

Even though you didn't want to be here and you weren't hungry, you weren't going to disrespect May by not going down to dinner.  This wasn't _Beauty and the Beast_ , after all.  She was letting you stay with them out of the kindness of her heart.  You checked to make sure your eyes weren't all red and puffy before leaving your room, slowly making your day to the kitchen.  But you slowed down as you came down the hall, the smell of burnt food hitting your nose.

May was fanning smoke from the oven, covering your nose and mouth with her other hand.  There was a burnt pizza sitting on the center rack, blackened cheese dripping off the sides  She sighed as she took a step back, looking over to see you and Peter standing in the kitchen.  "How do you guys feel about going out to eat?"

Twenty minutes later, you found yourself in a hole-in-the-wall restaurant, taking a bite of pineapple and black olive pizza.  Peter had raised his eyebrows at you when you had ordered it, to which you had told him to keep his mouth shut about your food preferences.  He had no room to talk, considering that he liked supreme pizza (with mushrooms!!!) of all things.

"So," May started, pausing to take a bite of her classic pepperoni pizza, "you'll start at Midtown Science tomorrow.  I'll go in with you just to make sure all your paper work is good to go, and then I'm sure Peter can help you find your classes."

You kind of hummed in acknowledgement while Peter sounded excited about the plan.  He was going on and on and on about Midtown Science in between bites, talking about his best friend, Ned, and a girl named MJ, and "You're gonna love both of them!"

You were half-paying attention, your mind actually far away.  You couldn't stop thinking about what your father could be possibly worried about.  Loki was done trying to take over the world.  Ultron had been defeated.  HYDRA was still a work in progress, but the team had been keeping them contained for a while now.  It must've meant there was something new on the horizon, which almost made you worry more.  You knew the old enemies.  You had heard the stories and even hacked the comm system during battles so that you could listen to what was happening.  You knew that your dad and his team could defeat them.  But if it was someone new...  You couldn't stop the anxiety that came from a new enemy.  You had no idea if your dad would be able to beat them.  Most of the time, you could assume that yes, he could.  But the Avengers have beaten every single challenge thrown their way.  It would be a little weird for the universe not to throw them a curve ball every once in a while.

You could only hope that he would make it.

That night, you changed into a giant t-shirt and a pair of shorts to sleep in before grabbing your toothbrush and toothpaste and walking to the bathroom that you and Spidey-Boy were going to have to share.  You were surprised to find him already there, brushing his teeth.  You were going to leave until he slid over, making room for you at the sink.  The two of you brushed your teeth in silence, and it kind of reminded you of that one scene in _Bring it On_.  The thought made you smile down at the ground, which meant you didn't catch the look that Peter gave you.

He spit out foam as he bent over the sink, rinsing out his mouth before you were done brushing.  He watched as you finished up, leaving your toothbrush on the side of the sink.  He was clearly waiting to say something, with the way that he was fidgeting awkwardly.  Once you had spit out your mouthwash, too, he said softly, "I'm sure whatever's going on with your dad...  It's going to be fine."

"Do you know something?" You asked, whirling around to look at him with wide e/c eyes.

He shook his head rapidly, holding his hands up in surrender.  "No, no.  Half the time, Tony doesn't tell me that I'm needed on a mission until maybe an hour before.  Sometimes less."  You watched as he ran his fingers through his hair.  "I know about the same as you."

You nodded, biting your lip as you began to head for your room.  Peter stopped in his door way, which was right across from yours.  May's room was on the other side of the apartment, closer to the living room.  "Goodnight, Y/N."

Glancing back at him, you whispered, "Goodnight, Peter."


	2. two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You have your first day at Midtown Science.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!

Mornings in the Parker household were chaotic.  You woke up at six-thirty to the sound of Peter falling as he crawled through his window.  You frowned as you got out of bed, wondering how early he got up to do his Spider-Man shit.  Realizing he was going to take the shower if you didn't run, you grabbed your clothes and bolted to the bathroom, shutting and locking the door right before Peter walked in.

He groaned, knocking on the door.  "Y/N!  Come on!"

"I need to shower!"  You replied, turning it on and jumping in.  Not wanting to upset him too much, you kept it brief.  No need to have a fight on the second day.

The second you were out, he was pushing past you and shutting the door.  You rolled your eyes as you patted at your hair with the towel, getting out as much water as possible.  While you did, you sent off a quick text to your dad.

 **You:** I didn't die in my sleep.

You were applying your simple, every day makeup when it dinged.

 **Dad:** Good.  I love you.  Talk to you tonight.

You shot off a reply before tossing your phone onto the bed.  When you finished at 7:20, you grabbed the backpack that your dad had gotten you, shoving your laptop inside, before running towards the kitchen.  Aunt May was making breakfast, though you just grabbed a piece of the toast and a cup of coffee.  You weren't too confident in her cooking skills and didn't feel like getting sick on your first day of public school.

Peter was soon to follow, hair still dripping from the shower.  "We're going to be late for the train if we don't go now," he said, shoveling food into his mouth.

"Y/N, is it okay if Peter helps you at the office?" May asked as you were about to head out the door.  "I got called into work early."

"Yeah, sure."  Placing the mug in the sink, you followed him as he bolted out the door.  He looked like an absolute mess.  The dark circles under his eyes stood out against his pale skin, making you wonder again how early he woke up to do his Spider-Man duties.  That, or if he even went to sleep in the first place.

 When you finally made it to the train, you put your headphones in and scrolled through Instagram.  Some of the Avengers had private accounts under fake names, so they could still participate in sharing photos when they were apart.  It made them feel a little bit normal.  You couldn't help but smile as you looked at the photo that Sam had posted, Bucky and Steve both passed out during a movie night months ago at the compound, captioned #flashback.  There was drool dripping from Steve's mouth onto Bucky, who had his head on a pillow next to the blonde.  It gave you a pang of loneliness.  Usually you'd be with them during those movie nights, tucked in between the two super soldiers.  They had become your surrogate uncles over the years.  Steve had been around since you were eight, when the Avengers first came together, and when Bucky had come into the picture a few years ago, it was just natural.

Fuck, you missed them.

Peter was standing up, holding onto the pole.  He would glance at you ever so often and he found himself growing worried when he saw the look in your eyes.  "Are, Are, Are you okay?"

You looked up, pulling out your headphone.  "Yeah.  I'm good."

He looked at you skeptically, raising his eyebrows.  "Missing home?"

You didn't reply, just looked down at your hands as you locked your phone.  You put your headphone back in and turned the music all the way up.  Peter must've taken the hint that you didn't want to talk about it, because he didn't try to ask about it again.

He tapped you on your shoulder when you got close to your stop, and you stood up and headed for the doors.  The train ride in total had been about thirty minutes.  The school itself was a little closer to Manhattan than the house, which meant that the streets were a lot busier as you made it the final few blocks.

The school itself wasn't exactly a shining beacon, like your father had described it.  It was just an average looking high school that happened to only let ridiculously smart people in.

"You nervous?" Peter asked as he walked you up the front steps.  People were turning to look at you, and you could already hear them whispering about a new kid.

You shook your head, but your heart was pounding.  "Nope.  Why would I be nervous?"

He frowned a little as he led you to the front office.  "It's okay to be nervous, you know.  It won't make me think less of you."

"Trust me," you muttered, staring straight ahead, "I couldn't care less what you think about me."

Peter seemed a little surprised by your reply, opening his mouth to say something before clearly thinking better of it.  When you got to the office, you went ahead and went in, talking to the secretary.  She gave you a giant stack of papers, which included your schedule, a packet about extracurricular activities, the rule book, and blah, blah, blah.  In your opinion, it was way too much.  And they wasted so much paper on it.  With how much this school focused on science and technology, you'd think that they would convert to being paperless.  If the tvs everywhere was anything to go off of, they could afford it.

Peter was waiting for you outside of the office, and he took a peak at your schedule.  "Oh, you have Daniels for homeroom.  He's great."  He began to lead you down the hall, pointing out your different classes.  Scowling, he took your schedule from you.  "It says you're a junior like me.  Aren't you fifteen?"

You shrugged, nodding.  "Must've been my test scores."

You felt a little triumphant at how much that seemed to annoy him.  But he pushed on, pointing out more of your classes.  "We have the same chemistry class third hour and..."  His finger ran down the page.  "You're in my speech and debate class fifth hour."  You had finally reached your homeroom right before the bell, and he handed you the paper back.  "Alright, here, here you are.  If you need me, just text me."

You were certain you weren't going to need him, but you nodded, adjusting your bag on your shoulder before walking in.  Spotting the teacher at his desk, you walked over and quietly said, "Excuse me?  I'm Y/N.  I'm new here?"

The older man stood up straight, adjusting his glasses as he got a good look at you.  "Y/N Stark.  I got the email about you."  He laughed as he pulled out a textbook and what looked like a syllabus.  "Any relation to Tony Stark?"

"Yeah, he's my dad."

He looked at you in surprise, before bursting out laughing, clearly thinking you were laughing.  It was a typical reaction when you told people who your dad was.  It usually took seeing the two of you together for them to realize you were telling the truth.  "You're funny.  I like you."  He peered out at the classroom, humming in thought.  "Why don't you sit by Michelle?  She's in the last row, by the window."

Glancing over, you saw the girl he was talking about and the empty seat next to her.  She had her headphones in, and was sketching into a notepad.  You kept your head down as you made your way to the back row, setting the textbook on the desk before you sat down.  She glanced over at you, pulling out her headphone.  "I haven't seen you before.  You new?"

"That obvious?"  You smiled a little at her, shrugging as you opened your backpack to pull out your laptop.

"Well, it's not often we get new students other than the freshmen.  It's a pretty exclusive school," she said, reaching out her hand towards you.  "I'm Michelle."

"Y/N."  You shook her hand firmly, and a look of recognition crossed her face.

"Y/N?  Any chance you're staying with Peter Parker?"

Why did that boy have to come up now?  You nodded reluctantly, running your fingers through your hair.  "Yeah, I know him."

"Cool.  He said he had someone staying with him."

It kind of clicked in your mind, and you looked down at the desk and then back at her.  "Would you happen to be MJ?"

"The one and only," she said, an air of confidence and nonchalance surrounding her.  She seemed weirdly mysterious, which you kinda liked.

You nodded, starting up your laptop.  "Parker mentioned you.  He said I needed to meet you and Ned."

MJ stared at you, pursing her lips.  She seemed to be observing you and it kind of unnerved you.  "You don't seem to fond of Peter.  Any reason why?"  When you shrugged, she leaned back in her chair.  "Alright, you don't have to tell me right now.  But I'll get out of it later."

Smirking, you kept your eyes on the front of the class.  "We'll see."

The girl beside you laughed, going back to sketching.  "I like you, Y/N.  I think I'm gonna keep you around."

It was kind of nice, having someone to talk to.  Especially since she had your first, second, and fifth hours.  The familiar face helped to relax you.  She also seemed to have some kind of pull with the teachers, because in both first and second hour, she got the teachers to seat you by her, even if it meant moving someone else.

Plus, she was pretty cool, even if she was friends with Parker.  She had a hard exterior, that's for sure, and she definitely used sarcasm to cover up what she was feeling, but she was kind.  She was an observer, like you, and she didn't give a fuck what anyone thought about her.  It was refreshing.

Unfortunately, she wasn't in your third hour chemistry class.  Peter waved at you as you walked in before turning to the boy beside him and saying something.  You were too busy talking to the teacher to really pay attention.

"You can sit by Flash," Mrs. Rosario said dismissively after giving you your book.

You looked around the room, spotting one open seat next to a boy with dark hair and eyes.  He smirked as you walked over, taking his time to look you up and down.  "Hey there.  I'm Flash."

"Y/N," you said, doing your best to ignore him.  He seemed like a total asshole, and you weren't about to put up with that shit.  Not after the two days you've had.

"Got a last name?"

"Nope."  You popped the 'p' dramatically, pulling out your notebook to take notes on.  You used your laptop in other classes, but you knew that having chemicals near it wasn't a good idea.  You were definitely missing your lab at home at that moment.  You'd have to get your dad to send you one of the tablets they used to take notes in the lab, since it was chemical proof.  At least, as chemical proof as it could get.

Flash seemed to grumble under his breath, but you paid him no mind.  Peter glanced back at you from where he sat a few rows ahead, and you could see him typing out something on his phone.  Right when he hit send, your phone dinged.

 **Parker:** Flash is a bit of a dick.  Just a warning.

You couldn't help but smile at that.  The boy hadn't even said ten words to you, but you could've told him that the second you saw him.

 **You:** Thanks for the heads up, Captain Obvious.

 **You:** Does he always have that much gel in his hair.

It was a few minutes before Peter could reply, and you had to stop yourself from immediately checking your phone when you felt it vibrate against your leg.  But Mrs. Rosario seemed like the type that didn't take any shit, and there were several signs posted around the room that said 'NO CELL PHONES ALLOWED.'

 **Peter:** Are you saying that you don't like THE Flash's hair?! :O

You were about to reply when Mrs. Rosario loudly said, "Mr. Parker, is there something you want to share with the class?"

You quickly tucked your phone away, watching as Peter began to stutter, "Uh, uh, no.  Nothing at all."

She held her hand out to Peter, who reluctantly placed his phone in her hand.  You could tell that she was about to read the text messages allowed, before she glanced over at you, then at Flash, and made a clear decision not to.  You could easily pinpoint the second that she changed her mind.  She walked back to her desk, shoving the phone into a drawer.  "You can get it at the end of the day, Mr. Parker."

Smiling sheepishly at Peter, you mouthed, "Sorry," when he glanced back at you.  He only stuck his tongue out at you in response.

Flash seemed suspicious as he glanced between the two of you, but didn't say anything.

The bell rang, and you practically ran out of that classroom.  Your stomach was growling and you needed something to eat pronto.  Plus, you didn't want Peter to attempt to talk to you after class.  A short text conversation and a common dislike in someone didn't mean you liked him all of a sudden.

"Y/N!"

Looking over, you grinned as you saw Michelle with her tray of food.  "Wanna sit outside with me?"

You nodded, and she waited with you while you got your food, before the two of you went out into the courtyard.  It was remarkably warm for a mid-October day, but you loved it.

You were chatting quietly about school and just random things for a while, before MJ asked, "So why don't you like Peter?"

You didn't really know if you wanted to have that conversation, but you had also known that it was going to come up eventually.  You shrugged, looking down at your food as you picked at the salad.  "He's just..."  Making a split second decision to trust her, you turned to face her a little better.  "When Peter came into the picture a year and a half ago, he started taking all of my dad's attention.  Now, it feels like all he cares about is Peter-this and Peter-that.  He's getting all this attention for getting bi—"  You stopped yourself, taking a deep breath.  People knew about the Stark internship, but not about Spider-Man.  "For doing all this tech stuff.  And I've been doing the same shit since I was eleven.  But now, I have to work twice as hard just to get a nod of approval."

"First off, I know about the Spidey shit, so you're good.  You can say it," Michelle said, making you look at her in surprise.  So that's why she had believed you so quickly when you had told her who your dad was during second hour.  "And it sounds like you need to talk to both Peter and your dad."

"I know, but—"

"To me," she interrupted, taking a bite of her pasta, "it sounds like your dad knows that you know what you're doing and doesn't realize that you still want his approval.  In his mind, he probably just thinks you know he's proud of you and that you're fantastic at what you do.  But Peter...  Peter needs someone to hold his hand sometimes and guide him along.  His parents died while he was young, and his Uncle Ben died a few years ago, right after he became Spider-Man."  She shrugged a little as she looked at you, her tough act dropping for a second.  "Maybe give him another chance?"

You looked at her for a long moment, going quiet a you picked at your food.  You hadn't tried looking at it from their perspectives, but now you might just have to if you wanted to survive living with Parker.


	3. three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You finish your first day at Midtown Science.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was too lazy to write the full first day last chapter (I went back to college this week and I've been really tired) so here's part two. Let me know what you think.

Fourth hour went by pretty slow.  You didn't know anyone in your history class, which was fine by you.  Not even the douchebag Flash was in there.  You kept your head down, only speaking when spoken to, and it was fine.  You really enjoyed history.  Steve used to tell you stories about the war and what it was like back in the 30s and 40s, usually as bedtime stories when your dad was out of town.

It did kind of suck, though, since you started in the middle of the semester and they were in the middle of a chapter.  All your teacher, Ms. Locke, said, was that you'd just have to do your best to catch up.  She seemed nice, and she was clearly very passionate about her work.  You could appreciate that.  It was always much easier to learn from people who loved what they taught.  It was part of why you learned science so easily, since your dad had been your main teacher on that front and he, obviously, lived for it.  Your specialty was robotics, again, because of your dad.

When fifth hour rolled around, you found yourself being waved over to a table with Peter, MJ, and the boy that had been sitting by Peter in chemistry.  The teacher didn't seem to care where you sat, so you put your bag down and slid into the seat beside MJ.

"Y/N, this is Ned, my best friend that I, I was telling you about."

You nodded at him, mumbling a hello.  You were still thinking about everything that MJ had said at lunch, and it was kind of confusing you.  You were just as stubborn as your dad, if not more so, which made the process of giving someone a second look fairly difficult.  But you were going to try your best.  If anything, Peter definitely had never intentionally done anything to hurt you or take your dad away from you.  He was a kid, just like you, doing his best with the life he had been handed.  He hadn't asked to be bitten by a radioactive spider.  He didn't have to spend his life saving people, but he did.  It felt like a thunderstorm in your brain, working through all the negative emotions to see the good things about him.

 "Y/N?"

You looked up in surprise to see the teacher, Mr. Harrington, calling your name.  "Yes?"

He laughed a little, motioning to the front of classroom where two podiums were set up.  Flash was already behind one of them.  "It's debate time.  The best way for you to get into the swing of things is to dive in head first, so go ahead and jump up there."

Glancing at MJ, you nodded as you slowly got out of your chair and walked to the front of the room.  You stood behind the empty podium, resting your hands on the wood.

"Your topic is superheroes: are they good for our society or bad?"

You felt your blood turn cold.  This would be a topic given to you.  Only Peter, MJ, and Ned knew your dad was Iron Man.  Or rather, they were the only ones who believed you.  You looked over at Flash, to find him smirking at you.

"Y/N, you will argue for the superheroes, and Flash, you'll argue against," Mr. Harrington said, before setting a timer for five minutes to give you time to form an argument.

Grabbing the note cards and pencil provided, you began to write down your points, going lightning fast.  If living with the Avengers had taught you anything, it was how to argue.  Plus, Flash got flustered easily.  If you got him just a little bit frustrated, he'd be down for the count.

The timer finally beeped and you set down your pencil, taking a deep breath.  When Mr. Harrington called on Flash, you relaxed a little, allowing yourself to listen to his points.  You could only imagine what he would come up with.  Living with actual superheroes, you got the good and the bad, and you honestly had to say, the pros outweighed the cons.

"Thank you, Mr. Harrington.  So, as you all know, my opponent seems to be under the impression that her dad is Tony Stark," Flash said, causing you to tense.  He had an utterly repulsive smirk on his face.  "Which, is impossible since there's never been any photos of a Stark kid released to the public.  It's also kind of perfect that she's living with Penis Parker, since he's delusional enough to think that Spider-Man is his buddy.  Oh, and that he has internship with Tony Stark.  Is that how you two met?"

"No personal attacks, Flash," the teacher said with a sigh, clearly having dealt with his shit before.  But he didn't do anything more than sit back in his chair.

Your gaze wandered to Peter, who's cheeks were a dark red.  You knew Flash was a dick, but you didn't know he was that bad to your sorta roommate specifically.  Steeling yourself, you prepared to take the boy beside you down.  Even if you still didn't care for Parker, you weren't about to let someone tear him down in front of everyone else for no reason.

Flash went on, ranting about the same things all the media did—that the damage cost was too much, that the Avengers attracted trouble, etc., etc.  But he just kept going back to the same things over and over again.  It was like he was trying to talk to children.

To your horror, though, a few of the other students in class were nodding their heads along with him.

When Flash's five minutes were finally done, Mr. Harrington turned to you.  "Alright, Y/N.  Your turn.  You have five minutes."

Clearing your throat, you shifted your feet before looking up at the class.  "I think it's incredibly interesting that Flash has taken all of his arguments straight from the headlines, and that the people who said those things about the Avengers are only still alive because of the superheroes they were bashing.  Nobody is perfect, and the Avengers are no exception.  But they pay for the damage they cause."  Well, you dad paid for the damage they caused.  "And in case you haven't noticed, the world around us was changing before they came around.  Aliens and HYDRA didn't just poof into existence because of them.  The difference in the world before and after the Avengers is that we're aware of the dangers now.  We're not being kept in the dark, and personally I prefer that.  I would rather the monsters be dragged out from under the bed, so I know what's going on around me.  The Avengers and other superheroes have brought them into the light and protected us from them."  You took a moment, taking a deep breath.  You were incredibly protective of your little family.  "And for those of you thinking about how many people die during those attacks...  They're human, too.  They sometimes make mistakes, but they are always doing their best to save as many people as possible.  Without them, a lot more people wouldn't be here."  You then turned back to Flash.  "And you know someone doesn't have an argument when they start resorting to personal attacks rather than facts.  So before you try bringing down people around, fix what's in the mirror."

You smiled sweetly at Mr. Harrington, who was looking at you with a little bit of awe.  He coughed as he realized you were done, sitting up and clapping his hands.  He then turned to the class.  "All those for Flash, raise your hands."  Biting your lip to keep from smiling, you looked down at your feet.  "All those for Y/N?"  There was a pause.  "Congratulations, Y/N, on a debate well won."

Right then the bell rung, and you were about to go grab your stuff to head to sixth hour when Mr. Harrington pulled you over to his desk.  "I run the decathlon team here, and Peter said you would be a good asset to the team."  You were about to protest, but he continued, "We have an open spot, if you want to join.  We meet on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays until five."  He smiled at you warmly, glancing back at the three people waiting and then back at you.  "Take your time.  You don't have to decide now."

Nodding, you turned and found MJ looping her arm with yours while Peter and Ned started talking excitedly about you joining the decathlon team.  You just kept quiet, biting your lip.  The thought of being a part of something was exciting, but you didn't know if you wanted to.  Joining the team meant that you were acknowledging that you were going to be living with Peter for the long haul, and you didn't know if you were really ready for that.  Part of you was still hoping that your dad was going to pull up in one of his ridiculously fancy cars at any moment, telling you that he had made a mistake and he wanted you at home.

But you knew that that wasn't going to happen.  You got your stubbornness from Tony, meaning that once he decided something he wasn't going to change his mind.

"Earth to Y/N."

You blinked, turning to see the three looking at you expectantly.  "What?"

"We've gotta go to class," Ned said, shifting his backpack on his shoulders.

MJ squeezed your arm.  "I'll see you later, okay?"

They walked away and Peter frowned a little as he took a step towards you.  "Are you okay?  Flash was...  Well, an asshole like normal.  What he said to you wasn't fair."

"Neither is what he said about you," you replied, your voice a soft whisper.  "Peter...  I didn't know people treated you like that.  Why haven't you told anyone?"

He shrugged as he looked down at the ground, shuffling his.  "Just, Just never seemed important."

"My dad would've come here, if he had known," you said.  "Proven them wrong."

"I know, but, uh...  It's not that important to me," he insisted, shoving his hands into his pockets.  "I wasn't the one who told people about the internship.  Ned kinda...  He kinda blabbed to the entire school."

"And the being friends with Spider-Man thing?"

His cheeks went red as he let out a huff of air.  "He heard this girl I, I had a crush on talking about how she loved Spider-Man in gym...  So he kinda shouted that I'm friends with him."

You couldn't help but laugh at that, shaking your head.  "That's... wow.  If only they knew, huh?"

Peter nodded, smiling softly as he watched you.  "Yeah.  If only they knew."

"So what happened to this girl?"  You raised your eyebrows at him, holding your books to your chest as you watched him.  You had never heard him talk about anyone.  Though, you had barely interacted with him before moving in with him.  Even so, you were curious.

He laughed awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his neck.  "Oh.  Liz.  Yeah, she moved.  Her, Her dad kind of turned out to be a bad guy.  I caught him trying to hijack the Stark plane that took all the tech from the, the tower to the compound, so she moved to Oregon."

Your e/c eyes widened a little.  "Wow.  Uh...  That sucks."

He was about to reply, but you both looked up as the bell rang.  "Shit, I've gotta go.  My class is on the other side of the school."

You watched him in shock as he ran off, waiting until he disappeared down a hallway to walk into your sixth hour.  He had walked with you to your class, despite the fact that his class was back by the speech and debate classroom.  The thought sent a small smile to your face as you tuned out whatever teacher was going on a rant about Shakespeare.  Your fingers toyed with the copy of _Much Ado About Nothing_ on your desk, finding yourself wanting to know more about Peter Parker.  He had hid how bad his school life was, despite the fact that your father would've immediately dropped by his school and put on a big show to prove that he was an 'intern' for him.  Hell, you were halfway considering asking him to do it to prove that he was your dad.  He had walked with you all the way across the school for who-knows-what reason.

 _He's sweet_ , you realized, biting your lip as you thought of the boy with big brown puppy eyes.

That night, you were sitting on the fire escape and watching the sunset when you saw a familiar red and blue suit swinging towards you.  You couldn't help the small smile on your lips as he landed on the rail, looking down at you.  "Hey, there, Spider-Boy."

You could hear Peter groan, the white eyes on his suit rolling as he stepped down onto the platform you were on.  "Why do you always call me that?"

"Because I know it bothers you."

He shook his head at you, already crawling into the window right next to yours.  You could see him changing and you quickly looked away, your cheeks red.  "Aunt May is at work tonight, but she left money for take out.  What do you feel like?" He asked from inside.

"Wh-Whatever you feel like," you stammered, trying to forget the image of his naked chest.  He was incredibly toned.  More toned than you had ever thought he was.  When Peter stuck his head back out, you were struck with a thought that you quickly fought from your mind.

_He's kinda cute._

"How does Chinese sound?"

You coughed, nodding as you looked down at the book in your hands as you tried to ignore his eyes.  You didn't want to face his questions about why your cheeks were so red.  "Sounds good.  Can you order me veggie lo mein?"

"Roger that," he said, disappearing back inside.  You could hear him on the phone as he ordered the food, pulling out your phone to text Michelle.

 **You:** So Peter might not be as bad as I thought.

It took less than thirty seconds to get a reply.

 **MJ:** I told you.

 **MJ:** But wait.

 **MJ:** What happened?!

 **MJ:** Did something happen?!

 **MJ:** Please tell me something happened.

 **MJ:** Y/N ANSWER YOUR PHONE

 **MJ:** I CAN SEE THE READ RECEIPTS

You were smiling down at your phone when Peter came back out, asking, "Whatcha smiling at?"

"Just Michelle," you said, slipping your phone back into your pocket.

He sat beside you, leaning back as he looked out at the sunset.  "Nothing beats a New York sunset."

Despite how captivating it was, you found that you couldn't keep your eyes off the boy beside you, simply nodding in reply.  "Yeah.  Nothing beats a New York sunset."


	4. four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You adjust to life with May and Peter and get yourself into a little bit of trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so, so sorry I haven't updated in a hot minute. The rehearsals for the show I'm assistant directing started and the rehearsals for a show I wrote began. Also, I realized that the Parkers definitely live in an apartment, so I edited the last few chapters where you're in the Parker place to reflect that. Let me know what you think!

It was scary how easy it was to fall into a routine in the Parker household.  You woke up at 6:30 every morning (usually to the sound of Peter crawling back in through his window in the room next door.  May had gotten to the point where she would automatically make you a cup of coffee to go, which you were barely able to grab before Peter and you ran for the Subway.  Then you would spend your day laughing with MJ, avoiding Ned, and trying to push aside your negative feelings for your somewhat roommate.  Then you'd go to Decathlon after school, before walking home so you could FaceTime your dad without people on the subway overhearing you.

The part you were still having problems with was getting over your personal vendetta against your somewhat roommate.

After that night on the fire escape, you had only fought harder against getting to really know him.  The next morning, you had just woken up to the realization that all those mushy gushy feelings were from the fact that it was your first day at a new school, and Peter had been there.  He had been there for you when you needed someone and he was a link to your life before.  Sure, he was attractive in an objective way, but that meant nothing, really.  You had grown up around supermodels and the like.  What were chocolate brown puppy eyes against that, really?

So you blocked him out, made as little conversation as possible.  It wasn't easy, considering that all he ever seemed to do was talk.  There wasn't a minute of the day where he wasn't running his mouth.  Half the time, you didn't think he even knew what he was talking about himself.  But he just kept going.  It was kind of amazing, actually.  He could jump from quantum physics to the newest Dwayne Johnson movie with such a smooth transition that half the time you didn't even notice.

Your only reprieve was when you walked home alone from school and when he was on his daily patrol.

It had been two months since that night on the fire escape, and December was starting to take over New York City.  It had already snowed twice in the past week, and based on the smell in the air, there would be another round of flurries tonight.  Bundled up in your coat, you walked down the street with your headphones in, your dad's face filling your screen.

"I think you should just talk to him," you said with a sigh, your breath coming out in a cloud.

He shook his head, which you expected.  You definitely got your stubbornness from him.  "I've tried, Y/N.  Rogers doesn't give a shit."

The scar on his forehead made you wince.  Anytime you saw it, it just reminded you of the day he had come home, half-dead and crying.  There were very few times that you had seen your father cry—a total of six times, actually—and the last time had been the day that Rogers had almost beat his head in with his shield.

That day had created what you thought would be a permanent rift between your father and his former best friend.  And no matter how much you missed him, you weren't sure if you could ever let the blonde man back into your life.  It didn't matter that you had grown up around him, he had almost killed your dad.  You were used to worrying about whether or not the bad guys were going to get him.  The last thing you needed to worry about was whether another Avenger was going to be the one to send him back in a body bag.

"I wish things were different."

"I know, princess," Tony said, his voice cracking a little.  "I'm sorry you have to deal with all this."

A frown worked it's way onto your lips.  "Dad, as long as I have you, I'm fine.  I'll be okay as long as you still come home safe and sound."

He laughed a little, a fond look in his eyes.  "You know I'll always make it back to you.  You're my little girl."

"I mean it," you said, tears forming in your eyes.  You wiped at them and tried to play it off like it was just the harsh wind, bringing winter early.  "For the first part of my life, we only had each other.  I can lose everyone, but not you."  Giggling, you couldn't stop yourself from smiling a little.  "So I guess that means you better get to work on finding the key to immortality."

Your father smirked as you watched him moving around his lab.  "I would expect you to find out the answer to that, but I forget that your specialty is tech, not chemistry."

"What the hell does that have to do with the key to immortality?!" You retaliated, a little bit offended at his tone.  But neither of you could stop grinning.

Tony shrugged, temporarily pausing the conversation as he stuck a wrench in his mouth.  He then grabbed it, pointing it at the phone that you were sure some robot was holding in place for him.  "I'm just saying that it's more likely that the key to immortality will be found within a chemical mixture or substance."

"You do realize I'm still better at chemistry than probably ninety percent of the human population, right?  If not more?"

You raised an eyebrow as he smirked, tightening a screw on what you assumed was one of his suits.  When it came to building his suits and repairing them, he usually preferred to do it by hand instead of letting machines do it.  He'd rather not rely on a robot to keep him from dying.  It was part of the reason why you helped with the repairs.  "I'm completely aware, but someone who's main focus is chemistry, like Peter, will probably find it before you do."

Ah.  That kind of left a sour taste in your mouth.  Fighting the urge to roll your eyes, you plastered on a fake smile.  "Yeah, we'll see about that."

"How's living with the Parkers going, anyway?"

You looked up at the people making their way down the sidewalk, expertly weaving your way through them.  As busy as Queens was, it wasn't wasn't as bad as Manhattan.  At the thought of your former stomping grounds, you took a turn down one of the streets to your left, following the signs to the subway.  "It's fine, I guess.  They're nice."

"Nice?"  Tony raised his eyebrows, a knowing look on his face.  "You only describe something as nice if you secretly hate it."

"Well, I'd rather be at the compound, but we both know that's not happening."

There was a thick tension as your father let out a long sigh, running his fingers through his hair.  "Y/N..."

"No, it's fine," you said, shaking your head as you spotted the stairs that led down to the subway that would take you across the river.  "I gotta go.  I'll talk to you later.  Love you."  You hung up as he was about to reply, tapping on Spotify and hitting one of your favorite playlists as you bounded down the stairs.  One flash of a metrocard and a ten minute wait, you were on the train headed for what you considered to be the real city.

Logically, you knew that going off on your own wasn't a good idea.  You were still a teenage girl and even with the self defense lessons from the Avengers themselves, holding your own against an attacker would possibly go very badly.  But even with that in your head, you didn't waver.  You continued on your way to Manhattan, brimming with agitation and excitement.  Your father's praise had just reminded you of why exactly you didn't like the puppy dog of a boy that you were living with.  It was just a reminder that you had been replaced.  You were no longer the light of your father's life.  Peter was.  Peter was everything your dad could've ever wanted.  He had the brains and the brawn.  If there was one thing you'd never have that he did, it'd be the super powers.  You wouldn't even be able to come Iron Woman or whatever you'd be, if you took after your father.  He had forbidden you from ever putting on the suit.  Said it was too dangerous.  It frustrated you to no end.

When you finally reached Manhattan and walked up the Subway steps to find yourself somewhere around Little Italy, your phone began to ding with all the messages you hadn't gotten while underground.  There were four from your dad, five from Pepper, two from May, two from MJ, and seven from Peter.  Not wanting to bother with them, you put your phone on Do Not Disturb before shoving it back in your pocket.  Talking to any of them (except for MJ) was the last thing you wanted to do in that moment.

So you began to walk.  You did snag a cannoli from one of the little restaurants, leaving an awfully big tip on your credit card before continuing to walk.  You walked through Soho, Greenwich, and Chelsea before finding yourself in Midtown.  From there it was only a short walk to Central Park, but by then it was nearing six in the evening and the sun was sinking below the horizon.  Your feet were beginning to hurt from walking such a long distance, but you ignored it as you entered the park.

Gapstow Bridge was your favorite place in the park to go, and you found yourself leaning against the stone wall as you gazed down at the pond water below.  The water was so clear and still that you were sure that if you reached your hand in, you'd be able to grab one of the stars that was mirrored in the glassy surface.  You weren't sure how long you had been sitting there when you felt a tap on your shoulder.  Whirling around, you were shocked to see none other than Spider-Man himself standing behind you.  He looked kind of pissed.

Pulling out your headphones, you narrowed your eyes at him.  "What are you doing here?"

"I, I could ask you the same thing.  You were supposed to be home hours ago.  Mr. Stark, Pepper, May, and I have been worried sick.  I've been looking for you for hours," he replied.  His arms were crossed over his chest and you rolled your eyes as you turned to look back at the pond water.

"Why do you care?"  You weren't even sure if Peter had heard you, and you didn't think you cared either way.  It wasn't like there was anything you could do.  If you told him or your dad how you had been feeling, you'd seem like a jealous, insecure, whiney rich bitch.  They would call you selfish.

You could hear the boy behind you sigh.  "Y/N...  Why do you think I don't care?"

"Peter, can you just go?  I'll be home eventually but right now, your face is the last thing I want to see."  You whirled around to look at him, only to find that he had taken off his mask and was holding it tightly in your hands.  "What the hell are you doing?  Someone could see you!"

"Y/N, we, we're the only ones here."

"Someone could still see you."

"That doesn't matter."

"Yes, it does."

Peter took a step towards you, gritting his teeth.  "I'm not leaving until you tell me what's wrong.  Why don't you like me?"

"Because you take everything from me!"  You blurted, not even regretting it as you watched Peter's face contort in confusion.  "You are all my dad cares about!  It's always, 'Peter this' and 'Peter that' and 'Y/N, you won't believe what Peter did today!  Oh, you created genius new tech to go in Peter's suit?  Who cares!  Peter created an upgraded version of his webbing that you already made months ago but I ignored!'"  At this point, tears were beginning to fall down your cheeks, but you didn't care.  "And then you took Happy!  Happy was my driver and my security guard for almost all of my life, and then you come along and he's yours!  Why do you even need security!  You have superpowers!  Oh!  And that's another thing!"  Your words were coming out slower and slower as you tried to catch your breath, trying to stop yourself from breaking down into sobs.  Your fury was beginning to fade, but not your frustration.  "I can never live up to you because I will never have superpowers!  You will always be his golden boy now because you got bit by a fucking insect!  I'm not even allowed to try on the Iron Man suit or consider making one for myself!  I will never be as good as you in his eyes."  You paused, your chest heaving as you watched him.  "Just...  Just leave me alone."

With that, you ran off, ignoring his shouts for you to come back as you ran down the paths of Central Park.  You knew that he'd probably eventually find you again, but he wouldn't have anything to really swing from until you got out of the park and into the city.

The lights of Hell's Kitchen seemed much darker and ominous now.  You realized you had spent more time at the bridge than you had thought, since the time on your phone now read eleven at night.  You had a tendency to dissociate from time to time, which your usual therapist tried to help you with.  It usually only happened when everything felt overwhelming and you were having an anxiety attack.

You jumped as you heard a loud bang somewhere around you, feeling your skin begin to crawl.  You hadn't ever been to Hell's Kitchen alone at this time of night before, and you were beginning to see why.  When you had been with your dad or Pepper, the night crawlers kept their distance.  But now they were taking notice of you.

You began to walk as fast as you could without drawing unwanted attention, desperately looking for a Subway station that would take you back to Queens.  But, none of them were heading in the right direction.

It also occurred to you briefly that you were on the opposite side of the island that you needed to be, but that thought just made you panic a little, so you ignored it and moved on.  If you could possibly make it to Times Square, you'd be golden.

But before you could turn to find which direction to head in, you were dragged into an alley.  You were slammed back against the wall so hard that your head bounced back, causing you to yelp.  Your shoulder blades were already aching from where the brick was digging into your skin through the sweater you wore.  But before you could even open your mouth to shout for help, a gun was pressed to your forehead.

"Scream and you're dead."  The man in front of you had light blonde hair and cold blue eyes.  He was at least twice your size and was using most of his body to hold you against the wall.  He absolutely reeked of alcohol, his hot breath fanning out over your face.

Tears began to stream down your cheeks as you shook your head.  "Pl-Please don't hurt me."

"As long as you're real nice, you have nothing to worry about," he laughed, his mouth pulled up in a sinister grin.  His free hand tore at your shirt before gripping your hip so tightly that you were sure there were going to be bruises.  Dragging the gun down the side of your face so that it was under your chin, he opened his mouth to say something.  But before he could, a flash went by you and both him and the gun pressed to your temple were gone.

You gasped for air as you turned to see Peter (in his Spider suit) holding the man against the wall.  He wasn't even using his webbing.  One hand was wrapped around the blonde's throat and the other was holding the hand with the gun against the brick wall.  "Drop the gun."  You hadn't ever heard his voice so dark and scary.  He sounded like he would actually hurt the man.  It was... weird.

"P-Peter," you choked out, whimpering as you fell to your knees.

Without a second thought, he webbed the man to the wall before running to you.  "I'm here, Y/N.  I'm here.  You're safe.  I've got you."

"I-I wanna go home," you said softly as he picked you up, your legs wrapping around his waist.

He nodded, allowing you to bury your head in the crook of his neck as he reached his hand up and a web shot out.  You closed your eyes tight as you allowed him to bring you back to Queens, unaware that your father and Pepper were going to be there and waiting for your arrival.


	5. five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your father gives you a talking to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this took so long and that it's so short. I'm in four shows plus normal college classes and someone please send help.

By the time Peter had swung you across the river to Queens, you had managed to stop crying.  Now you were just cold, your cheeks freezing from the tears that had left their marks.  Peter’s grip on you never wavered, not even when he reached the familiar fire escape and carried you inside.  The heat of the apartment was a nice contrast to the icy blasts outside, but it was going to take a while before the tremor in your hands disappeared.

You allowed him to hold you close as he brought you to the living room.  Your hold on his suit was so tight that your knuckles had gone white, your teeth chattering.  At some point between climbing through his window and getting to the living room, he had taken off his mask, but you weren’t entirely sure when.

“Y/N M/N Stark.”

Peter tensed a little as he felt your heartrate speed up.  He could quite literally feel you getting more and more anxious, which was quite a feat.  When he had first gotten to you, your pulse had already been through the roof.  “Mr. Stark, can Y/N at least calm down a little first?  She’s had a rough night.”  Your father must have agreed, because then he carried you to your room.  “I’m go, going to set you on the bed now, okay?” He murmured, his breath tickling your ear.

Nodding, you let go of him as he gently set you on the bed.  After digging through your dresser, he kneeled in front of you, setting the pajamas he had grabbed for you off to the side.  “Y/N?”  Peter’s hand gently reached up, brushing your hair behind your ear.  “Y/N, can you look at me?”  He smiled weakly as your eyes focused on him.  “We need to get you into warming clothing, okay?  I’m going to, to be outside with Aunt May and your dad.  You can come out whenever your ready.”

You nodded slowly, watching as he walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.  Moving slowly, you peeled off all the layers you had on before pulling on the hoodie and flannel pants.  The hoodie had an Iron Man symbol on it, which brought a faint smile to your lips.

But then you remembered who was waiting outside.

You opened up the door, and you immediately heard the three people in the living room stop talking.  It made you frown a little but you knew that you really didn’t have a right to be upset.  You had kind of given all three of them a heart attack.

When you finally appeared in the doorway to the living room, you were greeted to the sight of an exasperated May and a very, very angry Tony Stark.

“Watch out, dad,” you said, laughing weakly as you tried to lighten the mood.  “Any angrier and you’ll give Bruce a run for his money.”

His eyes only narrowed more as he kept his arms crossed over his chest.  “What the hell were you thinking?”

“I’m sorry,” you said quietly, your eyes going to the floor.

“No,” your dad snapped, fury running through his veins.  “You don’t get to say sorry yet.  Do you have any idea how fucking worried we were?  You disappeared for hours, Y/N.  Hours.  Fuck, you were attacked tonight.  What if we hadn’t been able to get to you in time?”

Your hands were shaking as you shrugged meekly.  “P-Peter was there.”

“That’s not the point, Y/N.  You got lucky tonight,” he said.  In all of your life, you hadn’t ever heard your dad get so upset.  “If Peter hadn’t followed you from Central Park, you could be dead.  You could’ve…  You could’ve been…”

He didn’t have to finish his sentence.  You knew what he was about to say.  You knew he had every right to be angry with you, but it didn’t change the fact that you hated when he yelled.  Hated it so much that you couldn’t stop yourself from crying.  “I-I’m sorry, dad.”

You were surprised as Tony rushed forward, pulling you into his arms.  One hand was holding your head to his chest, and you could feel his tears wetting your hair.  “I was s-so worried,” he said, his voice shaky.  His grip on you was like steel.  “You can’t do that, Y/N.  You can’t.  I thought I lost you.  I thought…”

Some would be surprised to know that the infamous Tony Stark had anxiety.  But mental health had always been a pretty normalized thing in your house.  It only hurt more to realize that he had most likely had an anxiety attack from your actions.  “I’m s-so sorry, dad.”  You were reminded of a time when you were eight years old.  You had hidden yourself away in one of the rooms in Stark Tower during the Battle of New York after running from Pepper.  Tony had to search the entire Tower, eventually finding you tucked away in a cabinet on the fifty-fourth floor.  How you had gotten there, neither of you knew.  “I-I didn’t mean to get into trouble.  I pro-promise.”

Tony’s heart was breaking.  He knew you were upset about staying with the Parkers, but he didn’t know that you were upset enough to get yourself lost in one of the most dangerous parts of Manhattan.  He also knew that when you panicked, you tended to run.  “It’s okay, sweetheart.  I’ve got you.  You’re safe.”

“A-Are you still angry?” You whimpered, clutching onto his shirt.

He kissed your hair, closing his eyes tightly.  Peter and May had disappeared into the kitchen to give you two a semblance of privacy.  “No.  No, I’m not angry anymore.”

“You promise?”

He couldn’t help but smile a little against your hair.  No matter how tough you tried to make yourself, you were still a daddy’s girl at heart.  “I promise.  You just scared me.  Scared May and Peter, too.”  He held onto you for a little while longer before leaning back, wiping the tears from your cheeks.  “What’s this I hear about you thinking I love Peter more than you, huh?”

Damn it.  “Peter’s a sn-snitch,” you muttered, looking down at the floor.

“Y/N.”  You looked up at your dad as he guided you to the couch, sniffling.  Tony simply brushed your hair away from your face, holding your cheeks in his hands.  “You’re my little girl.  There is no one in the universe I could ever love more than you, okay?  And I am so, so proud of you.”  When you tried to look down, he tilted your chin back up.  “I mean it, Y/N.  You are the best daughter I could’ve ever hoped for.  And the only reason I don’t want you taking after me and becoming an Avenger is because I want you to be safe.  It’s my job to make sure you don’t get hurt, and if I let you become one of us, it’ll mean I failed.”

“I’m sorry,” you said quietly, letting him pull you back into his arms.

“No, I’m sorry.  I should tell you more often that I’m proud of you, that I love you,” he insisted.  His fingers were now gently running through your hair, pulling out any knots you had.  “Sometimes I forget that you’re still just fifteen and sometimes you still need your old man.”

You hummed as you curled up against him, hugging him tighter.  “I’ll always need you.  Which is why you need to hurry up and find the key to immortality.”

Tony laughed a little, shaking his head.  He squeezed you a little tighter before calling out, “You two can come out now.”

You looked up just in time for May to attack you in a hug, pulling you into her chest.  “I was so worried,” she cried.

It hit you then just how much May and Parker meant to you and how much you meant to them.  “I’m sorry, May,” you said, allowing her to hold you.  Over her shoulder, you could see Peter watching you with a soft look in his eyes.

Later that night, you slowly opened your bedroom door, tiptoeing to the bathroom.  Your dad was sleeping on the couch, even though you knew he’d wake up at the softest of noises.  Flicking on the light, you winced as you pulled off the hoodie, leaving you in your sports bra.  You twisted yourself around, trying to see your back.

“Want help with those?”

You jumped in surprise, seeing Peter in the doorway.  You weren’t really sure how you hadn’t heard him coming.  “Peter.  Hi.”

He smiled faintly at you as he held up his little emergency kit, motioning for you to sit on the toilet.  “Why didn’t you tell your dad that your back got hurt?” He asked as he took out disinfectant wipes.  “This is, is gonna sting.”

Wincing, you gripped the sides of the toilet as he cleaned up the cuts that littered your shoulder blades from that stupid brick wall.  “I didn’t realize until after he had lectured me.  And I really don’t think he needed to worry any more about me.”

“He’s al, always going to worry about you,” Peter said, his voice soft.

You could only let out a hum in reply.  His hands on your back, the way his fingers gently tended to your wounds, sent shivers down your spine.  After a moment, you realized he had picked you up and was carrying you to your room.  He laid you on the bed, pulling the blankets up as you watched him with hazy eyes.  “Peter?” You murmured as he started to leave.

“Yes, Y/N?”

He had paused in the doorway and you sat up, leaning on your elbow.  You weren’t sure how exactly to ask what you wanted to.  After all, you had spent the past few months making sure he knew that you couldn’t stand him and now…

“Y/N, what is it?”

“Will you…”  You cleared your throat, looking down at your hands.  “Will you stay with me tonight?”  Before he could respond, you rushed out, “I-I’m just a little…”

“Scared?”

Your E/C eyes drifted up to meet his and you slowly nodded, biting your lower lip.  “I don’t know if I can sleep alone tonight.”

You relaxed a little as Peter nodded, shutting the door before walking over to the bed.  You scooted closer to the wall, allowing him to crawl in beside you.  You lay facing him, merely inches apart.  “Is this okay?” He asked, his voice breaking the silence.

“Yeah…  Yeah, this is good,” you replied, biting your lip as you watched him.

He tentatively reached up and ran his fingers through your hair.  “Go, Go to sleep, Y/N.  I’ll be here when you wake up.”

And with his fingers running through your hair and the steady rhythm of his breathing in your ears, you slipped away into slumber.


End file.
